The Finnish Ski Association has launched a new mentorship program for young cross-country skiers, aimed at helping the next generation reach the international elite ahead of the 2029 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti.

The program has been developed in partnership with infrastructure company GRK, one of Finland’s leading builders of roads, routes, railways, and bridges, operating across Finland, Sweden, and Estonia.

The program pairs rising talents with five experienced figures from the world of Finnish skiing, each bringing a distinct background. The selected mentors are Virpi Sarasvuo, Pirjo Muranen, Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, Perttu Hyvärinen, and Jouko Käsmä.

“It is fantastic to welcome this group of sports professionals into the mentorship program. The expertise and years of experience in elite sport that they bring offer young athletes invaluable support, both for daily life as an athlete and for different stages of a career. Through mentoring, we can share practical knowledge and insights that cannot be learned anywhere else,” said Finnish Ski Association elite sport director Petter Kukkonen in a press release.

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The program targets young cross-country skiers in a developmental phase of their careers who are aiming for the international podium. At its core is individualized support from a dedicated mentor, with athletes given the opportunity to reflect on their own development and learn about what it takes to compete at the highest level.

Topics covered in mentoring sessions will include balancing sport with education and future career planning, managing pressure in competition, motivation, and building a sustainable and goal-oriented daily routine. The program is also designed to strengthen self-confidence and self-awareness.

Athletes for the program will be selected from the GRK Lahti 2029 training group. Applications opened this week and will remain open until early August, with five mentor-athlete pairs to be announced in the autumn following a joint orientation day for mentors.

“We are currently looking for athletes to join the program. In the autumn, we will form five mentoring pairs and launch the program at a joint kick-off event. Before that, we will prepare the mentors at a shared orientation day,” said Finnish Ski Association training specialist Tilda Rajamäki.

The program forms part of the association’s updated strategy, which targets broad skills development and the strengthening of a new sense of community within Finnish skiing.

“We want to build mentoring into a permanent model that supports young athletes’ growth toward the international elite, both in sport and beyond,” Kukkonen added.

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